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Sarah O'Connor

Employment Columnist

Sarah O'Connor is a columnist, reporter and associate editor at the Financial Times. She writes a weekly column focused on the world of work, as well as longer reported articles.

She joined the FT in 2007 and has covered the US economy from Washington DC, the UK economy from London and the financial crisis from Iceland.

Email Sarah O'Connor @sarahoconnor_  on X.com (link opens in a new browser window)
  • Tuesday, 4 November, 2025
    Employment
    Why the job ladder matters for migrants

    Obstacles in progressing are important both for people and for the economy

    A demonstrator shows a passport during a protest in Hong Kong in 2020
  • Thursday, 30 October, 2025
    The AI Shift
    Are LLMs making us less productive?

    When it comes to assessing our own work performance we are not always reliable witnesses

    Premium content
    A man sleeps in a hammock held up by two mechanical arms
  • Tuesday, 28 October, 2025
    UK employment
    Lessons from success: how job prospects improved for the young

    Youth inactivity is a problem in the UK, but we can learn from our past — and the countries that are getting it right

    Three business people walking in the same direction on a sunlit stone pavement, casting long shadows.
  • Thursday, 23 October, 2025
    Q&AAsk an Expert
    How is AI reshaping the world of work? You asked, we answered

    Chief data reporter John Burn-Murdoch and employment columnist Sarah O’Connor replied to readers

  • Thursday, 23 October, 2025
    The AI Shift
    Where are all the job losses?

    A macroeconomic change isn’t clear yet but payroll data shows some types of work are already being displaced

  • Tuesday, 21 October, 2025
    Consumer trends
    Why can’t I buy a small smartphone?

    Capitalism is not giving me what I want, but I’m not behaving like a good free market consumer myself

    A woman uses two of Apple’s new iPhone Air smartphones at a shop in London
  • Tuesday, 14 October, 2025
    Artificial intelligence
    Are we about to enter an age of leisure? Don’t bet on it

    Productivity gains won’t necessarily translate into the embrace of free time — especially in America

    Tesla Optimus humanoid robot serves drinks to three people sitting on outdoor chairs at a night-time gathering.
  • Tuesday, 7 October, 2025
    UK employment
    The most radical Labour plan you haven’t heard about

    Collective bargaining in social care could save an ailing sector — but only if it’s done properly

    Senior woman in floral pajamas smiling and holding hands with a male carer, preparing to stand up from her bed.
  • Tuesday, 30 September, 2025
    Personal development
    What Jane Austen can teach us about taking feedback

    Pay attention to trends, extract what is useful and ignore bad-faith critics

    Anya Taylor-Joy as Emma Woodhouse wears a lace-trimmed bonnet and period costume while seated in a carriage
  • Tuesday, 23 September, 2025
    Technology sector
    Are we on course to become a Little Brother society?

    Trust in our peers could be the casualty as surveillance technology becomes smaller, smarter and cheaper

    A pair of transparent blue Ray-Ban Meta 2nd generation smart glasses with built-in cameras on display
  • Tuesday, 16 September, 2025
    UK society
    What’s in a popular first name? Let this Sarah tell you . . . 

    Data suggests the drive towards individualism has increased the selection of monikers in recent decades

    A row of babies sitting on the floor
  • Tuesday, 2 September, 2025
    UK employment
    Should a machine arbitrate a row with your boss?

    In spite of its intuitive appeal, AI is not necessarily better than humans at resolving employment disputes

    The logo of the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas)
  • Tuesday, 26 August, 2025
    Work-life balance
    The Dutch are quietly shifting towards a four-day work week

    The Netherlands serves as a case study for the advantages and trade-offs of reduced hours in the workplace

    Two women sit on a bench overlooking a canal
  • Tuesday, 12 August, 2025
    Artificial intelligence
    The lost art of admitting what you don’t know

    Even LLMs are starting to show this worrying human tendency

    A female teacher uses a blackboard in a classroom
  • Tuesday, 5 August, 2025
    Technology
    Dynamic wages make work a gamble

    Ride-hailing and food-delivery companies’ new pay models use algorithms to decide bespoke fees

    James Ferguson illustration of a cash machine and one armed bandit.
  • Tuesday, 22 July, 2025
    Technology
    The internet hates my apostrophe

    It turns out I am not machine readable — but that might be an advantage in the future

  • Tuesday, 15 July, 2025
    Employment
    Pity the policymakers in the AI jobs tsunami

    Instead of retraining those who lose work, politicians could help people take matters into their own hands

    Illustration of a wave made up of 0s and 1s heading towards a crowd of people
  • Tuesday, 8 July, 2025
    Driverless vehicles
    Why driverless vehicles just can’t quit humans

    Regulators need to ask more questions about the people in the shadows

    Aerial view of Waymo autonomous vehicles parked in a stage area in California
  • Tuesday, 1 July, 2025
    Artificial intelligence
    In defence of the second-mover advantage

    In AI, the message ‘act now or miss out’ has more in common with high-pressure sales than business strategy

    Men and women using computers in an open-plan office
  • Wednesday, 25 June, 2025
    Global migration
    What has happened to Ukraine’s refugees?

    Strong labour markets, high education levels and policies allowing immediate work have helped them succeed

    Members of the Ukrainian diaspora unfurl a 100-metre Ukrainian flag in Poland
  • Tuesday, 17 June, 2025
    Employment
    The scourge of the non-compete clause

    They may look employer friendly but can stifle labour force fluidity and competition

    A non-compete agreement
  • Tuesday, 10 June, 2025
    Ageing Populations
    Who are you calling over-the-hill? The truth about brain ageing

    It’s not necessarily correct that our cognitive skills decline as we get older

    Woman sits on her sofa playing acoustic guitar
  • Tuesday, 3 June, 2025
    Technology
    ‘Vibe coding’ is the new DIY

    Large language models enable us all to create our own apps, but sometimes you need a professional

    A couple painting a wall as part of a DIY project
  • Tuesday, 27 May, 2025
    Artificial intelligence
    Professionals are losing control of their work

    Tools which monitor, direct or organise processes may reduce the scope for employees to try new ways of doing things

    A crowd of people walking in the same direction, mostly dressed in business attire
  • Tuesday, 20 May, 2025
    Women in business
    Are female experts more credible?

    Public perception of stereotyped discrimination has one surprising outcome

    Janet Yellen
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